


Vengeance is Mine

by SneakyHufflepuff



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Gen, mentions of child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-03
Updated: 2014-01-03
Packaged: 2018-01-07 05:53:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1116293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SneakyHufflepuff/pseuds/SneakyHufflepuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha as a vengeance demon. Fic snippet for a Halloween treat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vengeance is Mine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [endeni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/endeni/gifts).



Natasha settled onto the park bench, its slick paint still wet with the morning dew. The shivering scrap of a child next to her, whose sunken cheekbones made it look like she hadn’t eaten in days, didn't seem to register her presence. With her vengeance demon powers, Natasha knew that the foster family that the girl had been placed with was unusually bad, even for Atlanta. Her heart beat a little bit faster as thoughts of the possible revenge filled her mind.

“Hey, sweetie, what’s your name?” Natasha asked, feeling the potential wish swell in the air around her.

“Annabeth,” the girl answered, her suspicious expression aging her beyond her ten years.

“Hey, I’m Natalie.” Natasha gave a name close to the truth, the child deserved that, but she hadn’t been a successful vengeance demon for the past six decades by handing out her true name to just anyone.

“What do you want?” Annabeth asked, her aggressive words belied by the way her body was folded in on herself.

“Nothing, actually, I was wondering if I could help you. You seem alone,” Natasha said.

Annabeth laughed derisively. “Look lady, if you try anything, I’ll scream.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow in surprise; usually it was the older ones who were suspicious of her motives. She couldn’t help but like the girl. “Look, I'll offer you a deal. Make a wish and I'll go away.”

“What, are you one of those wish granting charity people?” Annabeth asked, a speculative gleam in her eyes.

“Something like that,” Natasha answered with an appropriately mysterious smile.

“Fine. I wish I had a real family, one that loved me. But you can’t get that for me, can you?” 

Annabeth was matter of fact, not bitter, and that made Natasha’s heart break just a little.

Natasha had dedicated herself to righting the wrongs committed against girl children, but those wishes always had hard edges. This wish was so pure that she was she was somewhat hampered. Arranging things so that the foster family would lose their foster kids, and thus their money, would have to be enough. She would work the system so that Annabeth was placed with a good family.

“Granted,” Natasha said, eyes suddenly glowing green.

The world suddenly changed around Natasha and Annabeth. They were in the white picket fenced suburbs, next to a house painted salmon and cream. It was Natasha’s idea of hell.

Annabeth, now dressed in clean well fitting clothing and with a yellow backpack slung over her shoulder, rang towards Natasha on the pebble path, and hugged her. Natasha hugged her awkwardly back, still surprised. Annabeth smiled happily and ran to the yellow school bus waiting at the gate.

“See you in the afternoon, Mom!” Annabeth shouted, before alighting the bus without a care in the world.

Natasha swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. She reached for amulet, the source of her powers, only to find it missing. D’Hoffryn’s laughter rang in her ears.


End file.
